D 
Well now, boys I've been to Bethlehem 
                          G 
Rode there on a big steam train 
                        D 
Lost two fingers in the steel wheels 
                  A    D 
And I ain't goin' back again. 
 
D 
I fought for my country 
                    G 
Lord knows I did my best 
                    D 
Crawlin' cross some foreign field 
              A            D 
They pinned a ribbon to my chest. 
 
Chorus: 
   G 
So pass around the bottle boys  
                     D 
Let's talk about old times 
Night's rollin' in, it's cold as sin 
A                   D 
Here on the Welfare Line. 
 
D 
Served on a Georgia road gang 
                         G 
Couldn't pay the debts I owed 
                      D 
Cause I ain't made of silver 
                 A       D 
And I ain't ever seen no gold. 
 
D 
I still remember Rachel  
                 G 
Soft as a velvet gown 
                   D 
They laid her in a pauper's grave 
             A       D 
On the other side of town. 
 
Chorus: 
 
D G D A D 
 
    D 
Now some folks are born to money 
                    G 
You know I wish 'em well 
   
                         D 
If the Devil should ever want my soul 
            A     D 
I swear I'd never sell. 
 
Chorus: